Can you recover Windows Vista after the platform has been compromised, without dropping a single cent? Well – according to Microsoft – you can. And this scenario also extends to Windows XP SP2. All you need is the Malware Removal Starter Kit. At the basis of the solution designed to enable you to recover your Vista or XP operating systems following an infection, is the Windows Preinstallation Environment. The Redmond company is addressing small- and medium- sized organizations, but of course that the general principles designed to create the Malware Removal Starter Kit can just as well apply to end users. The approach delivered by Microsoft is more complex than deploying a singular, free anti-virus solution.

"The Malware Removal Kit is a download from TechNet that provides you with excellent guidance and tools to help you restore PCs infected with malware. The newest Solution Accelerator from Microsoft, it provides free, tested guidance to help you combat malware attacks and restore infected systems - so users can safely get back to work. The kit shows you how to use the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) to discover malware by performing a thorough offline scan of your computers, uncovering malware that may be hiding in the operating system. And once malware is located and identified, it can be quickly removed from infected PCs with a number of free anti-malware tools, like the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft," revealed David Overton, ISV Partner Account Manager at Microsoft.

You will be able to find the complete set of information related to the Malware Removal Starter Kit either on TechNet or on the Download Center. Make sure you read the documentation in order to learn how to benefit from the Windows PE and to build your very own Malware Removal Starter Kit. It is important to know that Microsoft is recommending the following security tools: avast! Virus Cleaner, McAfee AVERT Stinger, Malicious Software Removal Tool, Spybot - Search & Destroy, Drive Manager and System Spec. "The aim of the Malware Removal Starter Kit is to provide reactive guidance and prescriptive steps to help you recover a computer that has been exposed to malicious software. It is important to understand that no process can guarantee a full recovery from the damage that malicious software can do," Microsoft stated.CW